Of Souls and Hearts
by thechippedinkpot
Summary: Fate knows all. Destiny writes lives. Lady Luck brings good fortune. Creator gives souls to Creations. With the best of intentions, Creator unknowingly weaves a situation where two hearts begin to wonder if they themselves were fated. BaronxHaru
1. Prologue

_OF SOULS AND HEARTS_

Creator had always been intrigued by humans.

There were some who were filthy, vile, with hearts filled with nothing but slime and greed. But there were others who were pure and gentle. There were those who had a heart so powerful they could bring life to something that never had a chance to live.

Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen and Baroness Louise were born of one of the purest and kindest souls Creator had ever encountered. After seeing how much love and care their artisan put forth into creating them, Creator granted the paired statues a heart and a soul. But what Creator provided wasn't enough. The two needed a part of the artisan to give them the ability to love. To make them live.

The day the two were completed, the artisan's soul split. It filled the gorgeous figures like flutes being filled with champagne. The man's love was engrained into their hearts. Their hearts were no longer hollow and empty. They were filled with love and compassion.

The two were treasured by the artisan and they watched over him with adoration filled eyes until he grew old and died. However, without the constant love that the artisan provided, the Boron and his mate felt themselves slipping away.

The two were alive, but the memory of the artisan who poured his life into them was fading, as was the vigour of his spirit. The Baron and Baroness could no longer speak. They could no longer walk or move. And soon, they rested immobile on a distant relative's shelf, collecting dust. They could speak to each other, which was grand, Creator thought, since this way they wouldn't slowly go mad. They were hanging on, but just barely.

Soon, they could no longer hold on. They had to let go. The two fell into a deep sleep. Their hearts were still.

Generation after generation. Child after child. Year after year. Until, one day, they finally reached the hands of a young man just establishing his business.

The Baron and Baroness' own soul had lain dormant after the artisan's soul had fallen asleep. Their hearts pulsated, dull and slow.

The owner of the cafe had admired them and grew to love them. The man could feel the love his ancestor had for the two. He grew to love them so much that a small part of his own soul broke away and filled them. It sparked the fragment of the artisan's soul back to life and their hearts awoke once more. The eyes of Baron Humbert and Baroness Louise held a gleam that had long been dead.

Years passed, and the Baron and Baroness were content. They once again had the ability to love each other and the cafe owner who filled them with life. Time eventually worn out the two and reluctantly, the man sent the Baron away for repairs. He returned in wonderful condition which soothed his worried mind. The man then he sent the Baroness away as well.

The Baron was pained to be departed from his beloved but he knew one day he would be reunited with her.

During her departure, a young Japanese man (probably a student he supposed) and his lovely German companion entered the cafe.

"Oh, Shiro, dear. Come look at this lovely statue. I can tell," she smiled, "so much love has been given to this dear."

"My," Shiro Nishi exclaimed as he approached the statuette, "he is rather handsome... Look at his eyes! You can practically see life swimming in them," he laughed. "He looks... so sad... so mysterious."

The Baron's ears perked and, if possible for a statue, stood straighter.

"Sir!" the young man called.

The cafe owner turned at the sound of his voice. He was old and chubby, wearing glasses too round to suit him but, as he smiled, his weather worn face managed to turn years younger.

"Table for two?" he asked politely.

"Actually sir, I was wondering if I could purchase this dear statue."

The smile slid off of the old man's face and his expression was replaced with one of honest understanding.

"I'm afraid not, young sir. He's very dear to me. And my family," he added. Although, he knew this was a lie.

His family had been slightly disinterested with the statuettes. If they had been as enamoured with the two as he had been, they would have at least batted an eye when he had proclaimed he was going to put them in the cafe for display. The poor man didn't even have children with whom he could share his love of the two.

The Japanese man's female companion huffed and twisted her lips into a little pout.

"Please sir," she asked in a sugary sweet voice. Her companion chuckled a little, as if he knew what she was going to do. "We could offer you a decent amount of coin. He is _such_ a lovely statue... We can both surely appreciate him."

The owner nodded slightly but continued, "I understand how you two could come to love him... erhm, Shiro, was it?"

The young man nodded.

"And you, young miss?"

The pretty brunette made a slight curtsey. "My name is Louise Kirschertz," she said politely.

"Oh? Louise?" the bartender asked. His eyes widened a little. "Well dear, I couldn't let go of the Baron. He has a mate actually, sent away for repairs. She's named the Baroness Louise actually," he chuckled. "They make such a lovely pair. I couldn't bear to part them."

"But-" Louise started to object. Shiro held her arm and shook his head.

"I believe the man has made his choice, dear." He nodded to the man and kindly asked him for a table for two.

Louise looked disbelievingly at her Nishi. It was uncharacteristic of him to give up so quickly. Then, he snuck a peek in her direction and she caught the gleam in his eyes.

"Acutally sir..." Shiro started.

The cafe owner turned to him, slight suspicion written on his face.

"I was wondering if I could buy both the Baron and the Baroness."

Louise Kirschertz smiled and the cafe owner sighed.

ooOOOoo

His eye twitched and he forced a smile on his face. It came off as half-annoyed one when he, once again, saw the young couple enter his cafe. Their eyes automatically locked onto the Baron but they fell and dulled, dejected that his mate had not yet returned.

"Please sir," Louise once began again, although this time the undertone in her voice was sad and pleading, "_I'll_ buy the Baroness. Shiro is leaving for his home country soon. If he brings the Baron and I take Louise the next time we meet, the Baron and the Baroness will be reunited as well."

The cafe owner's eyes softened. He wasn't sure quite what to do. But in his heart of hearts he did. It was poetic, in a way, he thought. With a dejected sigh, and a slight reluctance in his voice, he replied, "All right dear lady. I don't think I can handle you two peeking in here for another week anyways," he laughed. "Besides, who better to keep her safe then you? Another Louise... A twist of fate I must say."

The Japanese man let out a brilliant grin and Louise let out a squeal and tossed her arms around the cafe owner.

"You don't know how much this means to us!"

The man smiled sadly and said he hoped he did. It's not like he had children to pass the statuettes on to. Maybe these two would. He could see the adoration in their eyes. He knew that the two would love the feline couple and he was sure the Baron and Baroness would be reunited with such a strong love as the young couple themselves shared.

Creator sighed. But things were not to be. The Baron and Baroness were never reunited. The Baron still held true thanks to the love of Shiro Nishi. The man's soul had, as well, joined the artisan's and cafe owners' within the feline statuette. The Baron was living contentedly in the home of the Japanese man but his heart still yearned and reached out for that of the Baroness.

Back in Germany, the young woman had died. The war had taken her life, and slowly, slowly, it was taking the Baroness'. Her life span had been stretched, thanks to the potent love of the woman and a fragment of the maiden Louise's soul. But she couldn't bear being alone, wrapped with tissue and stuffed in a shoebox. Her heart could no longer lie dormant within the statue.

She missed her mate so terribly that she decided to let go. She let go just to rid herself of the horrible aching in her chest. She felt so alone. She couldn't depend on the Baron's presence to help her carry on. She wasn't strong enough.

One day, the souls stopped leaking out of the cat figurine. There was nothing left but the empty feline statue.

Creator arrived. It was his duty to observe the life cycle of Creations but it was his kind side that just couldn't leave them after they've expired. He collected the soul which was floating around the abandoned room like fog, into one of his crystal jars. He brought it to Sanctuary. It was a home he created for the unique souls of Creations after their time was done.

'The poor things,' Creator thought. Most were forgotten after their creators died and had to endure a long and lonely road to Sanctuary. Here, however, they could roam free in any form they chose.

And just as Creator was about to open the lid which contained the Baroness' soul, he stopped. There was a feeling – a quiet, sad, pleading to see the Baron. Creator took such pity on the dear and decided to do what he knew wasn't right.

He stored the jar in his cupboard.

He would release her into Sanctuary when the time is right, he told himself, but in the back of his mind a plan stirred. His heart was accepting the idea. And he knew he was going to do it in the end. It isn't right to do it, he thought. It was against the rules. Creator shook his head pushed the thought and plan to the back of his mind. He closed the cupboard door.

ooOOOoo

Years passed. One day, Creator felt himself drawn to the cupboard. Pushing back the clutter that had accumulated, he once again faced the familiar crystal jar. His brow furrowed, and he continued contemplating.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt that yearning coming from the jar. This time it was much stronger than before. It pulsed rapidly, as if time was of the essence. Creator huffed, knowing what he had to do for the poor thing.

He went to a human hospital. He was drawn to this place, and Creator's intuition had never failed him once. No, no one could see him. He was as thin as air. Not to mention the humans there were far too weary to try and see something that _could_ be seen if only they tried.

Creator approached a room filled with babes in little beds facing a large glass window for parental viewing. He approached each babe and looked into their eyes. Most were sleeping. Some refused to meet his gaze. Some looked at him and looked away.

And there, at the end of the row, he saw her. A pretty little thing with delicate features.

She was sleeping, but she stirred. And great, big, brown eyes met his. She stared at him and smiled and giggled with a tinkling laugh. To anyone who was watching, the child would have still been asleep. But Creator saw. It was this girl's soul who was smiling and laughing. She had a soul so pure, and so willing to join with another's – to give it another life to live. She was reaching out to the Baroness.

He reached into his cloak, and pulled out the jar. Creator slowly unscrewed the top and poured the soul onto the child. Like a thick honey, it slid and dripped onto the child's forehead, entering it, and joining, forming a new life that held the Baroness', the artisan's, Louise's, and the child's own soul.

Haru's soul was formed of these people but her heart remained her own.

**AN:** Well, that's the prologue of this fic. I hope you guys like it so far but I'm sorry if you dont D: Leave a review or a critique. I'm a little rusty with my writing, truth be told. It feels like everytime I reread this chapter I found something that needed to be changed XD Anyways, expect another chapter sometime next week.


	2. Chapter 1

The slightly mundane life had somewhat returned, she observed.

After Haru's adventure at Cat Kingdom, she'd been filled with a new taste for life. Colors seemed bright and crisp. The breeze felt soothing and calm. The hot sun felt like the most refreshing bath she had ever experienced.

But as the weeks away from the Bureau and the date of the adventure grew longer and longer, she felt like everything was starting to dull again. It was like she was looking at the world through a window that had been coated with dust and dirt.

By chance, she met Muta again at the crossroads. He grudgingly (and with a little embarrassment) said that she could visit whenever she liked. He said that they missed her. Well, implied anyways.

When she heard those words a light grew bright in her heart. When she returned to the Bureau, it felt like the scum covered window she had been looking through had been polished. Every time she visited, she was once again filled with vigour for life. And seeing the Baron's face wasn't too bad either, she must admit.

Even as a cat, she could see he was terribly handsome. Whenever she looks back on this thought however, her face would rouge and the tips of her ears would burn. It was a crush, she repeated like a mantra, but every time she saw him her heart soared.

Haru didn't understand the reason why – it was a little odd actually. Well, rather odd considering he was a cat statue several times smaller than her. But he had a beautiful soul, she could tell. And it was his soul that she fell in love with. All creations must have beautiful souls, she thought. If someone could pour themselves into a statue, their heart surely must be beautiful.

She sighed, and hauled herself out of bed. After a quick shower and changing into her uniform, she heard the ringing from her cow alarm clock coming from her room. She opened the door and saw a man sitting on her bed, his eyes locking onto her.

"Really Haru," he tsked, "I would have thought you'd have visited more often."

She squeezed her eyes and tried to scream, shocked to see a stranger in her room. Only the ringing of alarm clock reached her ears. When she opened her eyes, he was gone. The mysterious robed stranger was gone. Her heart beat hard in her chest. What was that? _Who_ was that?

She sighed, still slightly shocked, and her slender hand reached up to her throat which had, just a minute ago, been rendered utterly useless.

"Maybe I'm just tired," she sighed. But she knew this was a lie. She had been going to bed early ever since she was a child. But since when did her imagination get away with her so? Daydreams were daydreams but that was real. _Felt _too real.

She looked up, tapped the sides of her face with her hands and stiffly walked to the alarm clock to cease its annoying ringing.

"Well," Haru said, "what can you do?"

Haru walked downstairs to start preparing breakfast.

oooOOOooo

The teacher gabbed on and on and Haru, with an absent mind, took notes of whatever was scrawled on the blackboard, this morning's event already gone from her mind.

She was doing better in school, she had to admit (and even her counsellor had admitted) and hadn't been late a day since the end of her little adventure in Cat Kingdom. School closed for the summer and her final year of school opened. She had to admit, she felt better than she did way back in her late days.

She changed emotionally but physically as well. Haru let her hair down, and it had grown past her shoulders. She took an art class this year, and discovered she had a rather good hand for carving. She took a nice little German Language Arts class every Thursday after school. The words were smooth against her tongue.

Haru wasn't the only one to notice the change in her though – her best friend Hiromi did and gave her a good-natured slap on the back for the change of attitude.

Haru hated to admit it, but even Machida would spare her a second glance nowadays – and not for being late for class either. Tsuge had commented how she seemed more 'self confident' in his words. Heck, she even received a love letter from a boy in another class. Half a year ago this never would have happened.

Still, although this was a welcome change, her life didn't feel complete. Life was, in fact, more enjoyable but she was never as happy as she was when she visited the Bureau. She felt... at home there, with the people around her. With Toto's cawing laugh and Muta's sarcastic manner. And Baron's lovely, understanding eyes. Her heart warmed, whenever she saw them. Err, her friends. That's what she meant.

She sighed. And felt Hiromi poking her with the end of her pencil.

"Haruuuu." she sang. "It's lunch already."

Haru woke up from her daydream and was only able to give Hiromi a sheepish smile. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Hiromi pulled an eyebrow up, "You've been kinda out of it lately, Haru."

She managed a nod.

"Well, Tsuge and I are going to go check out the carnival that's gonna be going on this weekend after school. Wanna come? We can pre-purchase our tickets!"

"Actually I'm doing something after school," Haru replied, the words pulled out of her mouth before she could stop them. Was she doing something after school? No. She wasn't. Then why did she say that?

"Ohhhh," Hiromi drawled. "You meeting up that boy who gave you the love letter?"

Haru blushed, "Of course not! I'm going to pay a visit to a friend I haven't met in awhile."

Haru furrowed her brow. The words were slipping out of her mouth. She wasn't planning to meet up with anyone after school. She looked up at Hiromi and saw that the girl had the grin of a chestire cat.

"Is it a bbooooyyyy friend?"

A blush raced across Haru's face.

"No! Of course not... Well, he's a boy, and he's my friend but he's no-not a b-boyfriend... well boy's being boy's and you're friend don't mean they're-" Wait. Who was she meeting?

"Geez Haru, relax," her friend giggled. "Only teasing... BUT," she snapped, "seems to me that you have a crush on him!"

"No I don't," Haru sighed. She didn't even know who she was talking about.

"Mmhmm. Well anyways," Hiromi pulled her bento box out of her bag, "got your tea today? I love your personal blend."

oooOOOooo

As soon as the bell rang, Hiromi gave a rushed goodbye and ran to meet her boyfriend outside. Haru couldn't help but be a little jealous. Hiromi was lucky to have Tsuge as a boyfriend. Apparently he was a real gentleman underneath the gruff exterior.

She packed her notebooks into her bag and went outside. What to do? It was a Friday. It would have been nice to accompany Hiromi and Tsuge to the carnival but lately she had been feeling like a third wheel. Things were getting serious between the two, she could tell. Haru vaguely wondered if Tsuge would propose to Hiromi after graduation. She shrugged and walked to the shoe lockers. While switching her indoor shows and her outdoor shoes a piece of paper fell out of her locker.

'A love letter?' she wondered. After opening it up, all she saw was a drawing. Slightly childish, but cute nonetheless. It was a cat head. A cat head with a top hat.

She quirked an eyebrow. 'Looks like the Baron,' she mused, crushing the piece of paper into her pocket.

Before she could stop herself, she was already walking to The Crossroads. It felt like someone was guiding her body there.

When Heru finally arrived, she looked around. No chubby white cat to be seen. This would make it a little difficult to locate the Bureau. Wait... was she even planning to go there? She shrugged. Nothing better to do, anyways. And she did tell Hiromi that she was meeting a friend whom she hadn't met in a long time.

Haru closed her eyes, and a path materialized in her mind. She started walking.

The reasons why her visits to the Bureau had been so scarce were because it was different every time. And it was slightly scary how it was. The brunette didn't understand how, or why, but every time she made her way there she'd pass a place or an alley she didn't recognize. Eventually, she would get there but how long it took depended on her mood. If she was stressed or angry, it could take hours. If she was calm, minutes.

She started walking through a familiar alley and noticed a fat white cat following her.

"Hey there Moo-ta!"

"I don't appreciate how you say that name Chicky," he responded in a gruff voice as he caught up to her stride. For a fatty, he was surprisingly fast.

Haru stifled a giggle at the thought and asked, "Going to visit the Bureau today?"

"Yup. It's Friday," he drawled. "Baron makes his Angel Food cake every Friday."

"Sounds good."

"What brings you hear anyways? Haven't seen you in awhile."

She laughed though a little shamefaced. "Dunno. Just feels right to, today."

Minutes passed by until they heard cawing. And a man's scream.

Haru looked at Muta worriedly and they started running towards little circular village. Toto stood of the grand pedestal cawing at something on the ground.

"Toto!" Haru panted, "what's wrong?"

Her eyes trailed to the figure sitting on the ground looking at his hands and hastily touching his face.

"I-I'm human?" he asked as his baritone, and accented, voice hung in the air.

There was a shocked silence.

Muta questioned, "...Baron?"

* * *

Ngh... Don't like this chapter XD Anyways, sorry for the late update. School had me pinned down with homework since the first day. Projects and unit test the next .;;


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